World mountaineering legend dies in Pakistani mountains. How it happened
Among those killed as a result of an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan was the famous mountaineer and former British Army serviceman Nirmal Purja, his company announced. What made this man famous, writes the BBC.
Elite Expeditions stated in a social media post that it confirms Purja's death in Thursday's avalanche with "deep sorrow and immense pain". The company also reported that it had received confirmation that the other nine members of the expedition did not survive either.
Purja's death was also confirmed by Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah. He wrote on social media that
"the tragic death of six Nepalese and four other foreign climbers, including world record holder Nirmal Purja, in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan, shocked us."
"The story of their courage, dedication and contribution will forever remain a source of inspiration," the Prime Minister added.
The 43-year-old climber, born in Nepal, became famous after conquering all 14 of the world's highest peaks in just over six months in 2019. He became particularly renowned with the release of the 2021 Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible," which tells the story of Nirmal Purja's ascents.
Earlier, Pakistani officials reported that they had found the bodies of three climbers out of ten expedition members — American Mallory Hais, Nadira Ahmed Abdullah Al-Harthi from Oman, and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal.
The avalanche occurred on Thursday on a peak of 8047 meters in the Karakoram mountain range. The international group of climbers was led by Purja, who joined the British Army in 2003, and in 2009, the Special Boat Service, a special forces unit of the Royal Navy of Great Britain.
Broad Peak is considered one of the most challenging mountains for climbers. The first successful ascent to the summit took place in 1957 when an Austrian expedition reached the peak. Since then, many other climbers have ascended the mountain, but dozens of people have also died during their attempts.
One of the deadliest years on Broad Peak before this was 2013, when at least six people died there.
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